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5 Ways to Say ‘No’ At Work (Without Feeling Guilty) [Infographic]

With the new year well under way, we thought it might be fun to check in on how those resolutions are going. Are you eating more vegetables? Doing more community service? Achieving better work-life balance?

That last one is tricky, and might even conflict with other goals, like getting a raise or being more productive. It’s hard to say, “No,” when we’re trying to be as industrious as possible and do something like earn a promotion.

But worst of all, when we say, “No” to the important people in our lives — bosses, spouses, or kids — it tends to come with guilt. More than half of us say we’re too guilty to even leave our desks for a break. If something like that makes us feel bad, how can we possibly be expected to feel good about turning work down?

As it turns out, it is possible to say, “No” in a way that’s respectful, productive, and free of guilt. Our friends at Business Backer came up with five ways to do so, and compiled them into this handy infographic. So read on. And please — just say, “No.”